Tata Coffee to set up freeze-dried coffee plant in Vietnam

Tata Coffee is to set up a freeze-dried coffee plant in Vietnam with an installed capacity of 5,000 MT pa, a move that further strengthen Tata Coffee's position in the premium instant coffee segment.

The plant in Vietnam will serve discerning global customers of Tata Coffee with new product mixes of freeze dried coffee.

''Tata Coffee has made steady progress in growing its freeze dried instant coffee business, which is now about 20 per cent of our overall instant coffee portfolio. This move is in line with the company's strategy to strengthen focus on differentiation, premiumization and customer centricity,'' Sanjiv Sarin, managing director of Tata Coffee said.

''Our commitment to quality, process improvements, sustainability and understanding customers will help our growth in this market. Vietnam offers an attractive business environment besides being the largest Robusta Coffee growing region. The plant will help us further expand our global footprint,'' he added.

Tata Coffee already has strong expertise in manufacturing freeze dried coffee at its plant in Theni, Tamil Nadu, which develops blends customized to varied consumer preferences. Freeze-dried coffee is a growing segment worldwide in the premium instant coffee segment. Instant coffee accounts for about 20 per cent of the global coffee consumption with freeze dried instant coffee being the most premium.

Tata Coffee, a subsidiary of Tata Global Beverages, Asia's largest coffee plantation company and the third largest exporter of instant coffee in the country. The company produces more than 10,000 MT of shade grown Arabica and Robusta coffees at its 19 estates in South India and its two Instant Coffee manufacturing facilities have a combined installed capacity of 8400 metric tonnes.